Emerald Orbs
by Lucicelo
Summary: AU: One rainy day, Nowaki finds a brown kitten on his way home and convinces Hiroki to let them keep little Misaki as their pet. Eventually, Hiroki warms up to the intelligent animal and bonds with him, making little Misaki a permanent member of their little family. kitten!Misaki
1. Under the rain

A_/N: So...a Junjou Romantica animal fic...but after writing Truths Revealed, I love having Misaki be in Hiroki and Nowaki's lives one way or another so why not a cute little kitten~ (I first wanted to make Misaki into a puppy but I think most apartments don't accept them, well from where I lived when I was smaller they wouldn't allow it.) I don't know how long this will be since this is a prompt idea that came out of nowhere but maybe up to the point when Misaki meets cat!Akihiko. _

* * *

Emerald Orbs chapter 1: Under the rain...

Nowaki made it beneath a plastic covering above the bus stop benches before he got any wetter. The sudden downpour of rain wasn't unwelcomed but Nowaki was miffed that he didn't take note when Hiroki told him to take an umbrella earlier that day. Weathercasters weren't a hundred percent accurate and Nowaki never listened to them at any rate. He checked the sky as his weather report and he got along very well.

His thick sweater shielded some of the rain but he knew he would have a shower when he was home. He wasn't getting sick because he was being careless and he didn't want Hiroki worrying about him while he was at work. Despite the professor's nonchalant attitude over illness, Nowaki knew that he was troubled when there were texts asking on his status report.

It had been a while since he got ill; the feeling was on no account a good thing. He was miserable the whole time, whoever said that becoming sick was fun had to be lying. All Nowaki thought about was about work, his Hiro-san, the children at the hospital, many more filled his head. As a result he was restless when he was conscious and lying in bed. He couldn't kiss Hiroki because of his lack of energy and that he wouldn't want his partner ill as a result.

Hiroki had told him that the university was giving their mid-terms and a new wave of work piled on existing work. Catching a cold wasn't going to help Hiroki and Nowaki wouldn't want to be the one who gave it to him.

In an attempt to get rid of the water, the doctor shook his hair back and forth. The droplets landed on random spots around him, Nowaki knew that his hair was still soggy in spite of doing his hair flips.

He turned around and saw the program on when his bus would arrive as he calculated his waiting time. "So I have…twenty minutes before the next bus comes around here...great."

Nowaki swung his legs back and forth, his eyes focused on a sign across the street from his current location. There weren't many stores in that area but there were many upscale apartments that had numerous floors. He was sure the rent would be costly, he was glad that he had his current accommodations. The struck of luck he had when he was searching for one was something to be proud of, it was spacious enough for them and Hiroki's book collection.

Their home was in a perfect location from their jobs and their neighbors have been kind to them when they passed by. Life was amazing at this point in their lives and Nowaki wanted it to remain that way. They had worked hard on making their relationship strong but it was far from perfect.

He sighed blissfully, thinking about Hiroki made him so cheerful. When he got home, he was going to kiss the living daylights out of him.

The rain fell down harder as Nowaki rubbed his arms; it was getting chilly from the gust of wind.

He got up when he saw headlights headed down the road, it sped by without stopping and Nowaki realized it was a car. Nowaki pouted, he should have known, he had ten more minutes before the bus came to that destination. Before he sat down on his seat, he heard a loud crash behind him. He turned around just in time to see a ball roll out onto the sidewalk.

Yowling came afterwards and Nowaki got interested. He had some time before the bus arrived so he could investigate, he was bored as well and he needed to keep busy. Once he made it out of the cover, the rain wetted him even more but Nowaki kept on walking to the alleyway where the ball came from.

When he made it to the entrance of the alley, the cats ran to different directions when his presence became known. A giant cat ran out of a cardboard box and a loud mewling noise reached Nowaki's ears. He walked closer and took out his cell phone, pressing it to make some light. Nowaki flashed the light of his cell phone into the box and he saw a tiny brown kitten curled up in a tight ball. It shivered underneath the little bit of the cardboard box's flap, rain seeped through and wet its fur.

He became aware of a few cats hiding in nearby trashcans; he knew how territorial they got when there was a new feline in the vicinity. The kitten was going to be attacked if it wasn't taken away from there and being so young he wouldn't be able to defend itself.

He carefully picked the animal with his warm hands and it mewed in response to the action. Nowaki unzipped his sweater and placed the kitten there, zipping it back up enough so it could still breathe. His shirt and undershirt got soaked by the kitten but Nowaki didn't care for that.

Nowaki made it back to the bus stop just in time earlier than when the bus arrived. The rain kept going as Nowaki got on the bus and it zoomed through the night.

* * *

Nowaki kept his left hand over his chest where the kitten resided in as he opened the door to the apartment. He saw Hiroki's dark brown shoes in the shoe rack, a dark red umbrella, soaked with water, was against the wall with a small puddle underneath it. Drops of water lead toward the bedroom and Nowaki knew Hiroki had to be in there.

He kicked off his shoes, picked them up, and then placed them in a random spot. The kitten shivered as Nowaki rubbed the lump, adding just enough pressure so it gathered warmness. When it stopped quivering, Nowaki closed the door behind him and walked past the entryway.

"Hiro-san, I'm home!" Nowaki exclaimed as a familiar light brown head popped out of their bedroom.

"Welcome back," Hiroki grumbled he strode to Nowaki with a towel in his hands as if predicting that Nowaki would be soaked. "I told you to take an umbrella Nowaki."

Nowaki nodded his head; he received the fluffy towel as he laid it on his shoulder. "I know but the rain came out of nowhere Hiro-san, in my defense it was clear and sunny earlier today."

Hiroki rolled his eyes. "It has been raining unpredictably for the past week, how could you not figure it wasn't going to happen today."

"Oh well, the past can't be changed."

Thunder struck outside of the window as both Hiroki and Nowaki jumped at the noise. "At least you made it before it turned into a storm." Hiroki commented as Nowaki got closer to him, he already knew what Nowaki was about to do and he stayed put.

He admitted that he missed the simplest contact of a kiss. Both of them enjoyed something so insignificant when time constrictions made it impossible to be together for long periods of time.

Nowaki bent down and kissed Hiroki on the lips, his chest pushed away slightly where the kitten was hidden. It formed a lump underneath his sweater but his left hand covered over it so it wouldn't be as noticeable. His right hand cradled Hiroki's cheek and his fingers idly played with some locks of Hiroki's hair. He felt Hiroki's arms wrapping around him, he backed away, earning a perplexed look from Hiroki.

"What's wrong with you?" Hiroki saw that Nowaki was moving around him and then paced away inches at a time. "Look Nowaki whatever is going on; you might as well tell me now."

Nowaki chuckled when he answered. "Nothing's wrong Hiro-san, what makes you think so?"

A soft meow went unheard by Hiroki's ears but Nowaki without a doubt heard it.

_"Mister...I'm cold...and I'm hungry too. Where's mommy and nii-chan…"_ The kitten cried but all that were heard was a couple of meows.

He peered inside of his sweater and saw a pair of green eyes gazing up at him. The kitten was awake but it was cuddling closer to gather more warmth, this made Nowaki smile as he awed inside of his head.

Hiroki arched a brow when he saw this, he demanded. "Alright Nowaki, what is in your sweater?"

"N-Nothing!" Nowaki patted his chest; the kitten's paw hit him in the chest. "Trust me; you wouldn't be interested in wanting to know."

"Now you have peaked my interest by saying that Nowaki." Hiroki said. "Show me what you got in that jacket."

Nowaki shook his head as he told Hiroki with an amused smile. "I'm sorry but I can't do that, besides I have to go take a shower before I catch a cold. You can't argue with that right?"

Hiroki sighed, resigning his initial questioning; he crossed his arms over his chest. "Alright then take your shower; I'll put some water on for tea while I go back to work."

Nowaki noticed the disgruntled expression on Hiroki's face when work was mentioned, he asked. "You have papers to grade don't you Hiro-san?"

"Yes and so far they are making me mad," Hiroki stretched up his arms above his head as he yawned.

His shirt rode up, exposing his slim stomach. Nowaki stared at him intently but tore his eyes away. He had to place the kitten in a safe place before Hiroki noticed it inside of his jacket.

"I'll go get some clothes." Nowaki mentioned as he walked toward their bedroom and Hiroki followed suit. Nowaki heard Hiroki following him. "Um...can you please stay out here for a bit Hiro-san?"

"Why?"

"Just because…I have to do something in there before you go back in." Nowaki saw the questioning look on Hiroki's face as he told him. "Please for a few minutes?"

"Fine. Hurry up about whatever you are going to do, I might as well try finishing my work before the week is over."

Nowaki smiled appreciatively as he went inside of their room and closed the door.

* * *

Hiroki heard a noise coming from the closet as he leaned back from his seat on the floor. A red pen was inside of his mouth, his hair in a low ponytail so his hair wouldn't get in the way of his corrections. After Nowaki went into the shower, he went back to reading the papers he got from his students. A load of them were given F's on the spot due to not following his directions on using the proper format. They might have been great papers but Hiroki noted on the paper itself that his instructions weren't followed so they failed.

It helped him to be as comfortable as possible; a while back he bought a seat cushion so his back wouldn't hurt from sitting on one spot for too long. Nowaki suggested on buying those new chairs that supported his back, had arm rests and elevated his feet for comfort. Hiroki noted this idea down as something to search for when he would be free one day.

The irritation of how horrid the papers were in front of him had him in dire need of something strong to drink.

He gave the wardrobe a suspicious glance when his ears picked up a minor noise. He thought he was imagining the racket, that was until he heard it again and now something was scratching the wooden door.

Hiroki got up and went to the closet; he knocked on the door softly. The response was more scratching and he took a step back. He wasn't expecting an answer when he hit the wooden door; his imagination spawned an image of a ridiculous prank Nowaki might have left him.

Nowaki was in their room before taking his shower and spent some time trying to find some pajamas. Hiroki was told to stay outside for a bit, he took this chance to put some water on the kettle while Nowaki was doing what he was doing. When Hiroki went back, he heard something being moved inside of the room before Nowaki ventured out for the bathroom with clothes in his arms.

Hiroki shook his head, Nowaki wouldn't prank him. There was one failed attempted prank sometime back and Hiroki didn't take it too well. He hated surprises when he wasn't included in them and Nowaki learned never to do anything similar again.

He placed his hand on the handle; it couldn't be a good one to say the least.

Hiroki frowned. "He better not have gotten an idea from those shows that are on TV." He opened the door; he saw a pile of blankets wrapped around a brown kitten that stared up at him, a single paw up in the air.

Hiroki's eyes widened as he froze for a moment. He closed his eyes and opened them again; he was hallucinating from lack of sleep.

The kitten's head tilted in curiosity as it meowed. _"This isn't the human from before…who is this guy?"_ Hiroki picked the kitten up from the scruff of its neck and stared at him directly in the face. _"Hi mister human! Can I get some food? I don't mean to be rude but I am a little hungry, a little tuna is fine with me."_

Hiroki exclaimed. "Nowaki! Get in here!"

"Hiro-san I haven't changed into my clothes yet!"

"I don't care! Get in here!" He went to their bed and sat down; he stared at the kitten that kept hitting his chest.

"_Hungry…hungry…"_

Nowaki ran inside of their room in a fluffy white towel and halted when he saw the kitten in Hiroki's arms. "I…I can explain..."

The kitten wiggled in Hiroki's embrace. _"That's the human that saved me! Hi!"_

"Clearly you have some excuse as to why this animal is in our house. Well? What is it Nowaki?" Hiroki asked as he placed the kitten on the bed, ignoring it in favor of glaring at Nowaki.

"…The kitty was about to be attacked by other cats and I thought it would be safer here." Nowaki explained as he sat beside Hiroki and petted the kitten on the head, glad that it was moving around normally. "It looks like you haven't gotten sick little kitty."

"_Yup I'm all better; you took me away from the rain, thank you mister human!"_

Hiroki glanced at the kitten before turning his attention back to Nowaki. "We are not keeping it. Take it to the shelter in the morning."

Nowaki held the kitten in his hands. "Hiro-san look at him." He presented the kitten in front of Hiroki's face. "Isn't it adorable? Obviously it was left in the rain because nobody wanted him, can we please keep it? Cats are much easier to take care of and I am sure you will love him."

Hiroki noticed that Nowaki's eyes turned sad, he knew by what reason as he sighed. "How can I be sure this cat will like me? For all I know it will grow to hate me and it might claw out my precious books."

"Little Misaki won't do such a thing Hiro-san, we can train him not to go near your books. Problem solved!" Nowaki declared as he rubbed the newly named Misaki in the back of the ears. "Misaki is such a cute name, right Hiro-san?

"_Misaki is a girl's name! Change it mister human!"_

"Great, now that you named it, you are never going to get rid of it." Hiroki said then he arched a brow. "It's a girl?"

Nowaki peeked underneath the kitten as he blinked. "No…"

Hiroki smirked in amusement at Nowaki's mistake as he suggested. "Change his name Nowaki, name him something like Youji or Ringo."

Nowaki shook his head as he insisted on his imaginative choice. "Many boys have girl's names Hiro-san, my own name is especially different, and so Misaki is keeping his name."

"Whatever, the animal is yours so do what you want with it." Hiroki got up, sat back on his original spot and went back to work. "Put some clothes on, you'll still get sick if you don't warm up properly."

"I'll do that in a second." Nowaki tapped the kitten on the nose lightly. "Misaki is your name just to let you know little guy. I'm your owner, Nowaki and the guy who just held you is Hiro-san, he's also your owner."

Hiroki commented. "Nowaki, the cat can't understand a thing you are saying."

Misaki stared up at his new owner with his pink tongue sticking out as he sulked._ "But why Misaki? Couldn't I have gotten an awesome name like bolt, thunder or hero? At least my name isn't fluffykins or fudge ball."_

"Yes he can," Nowaki saw Misaki moving his paws around. "See, he likes his name already."

All Hiroki saw was a dissatisfied kitten as he scoffed. "Doubt it."


	2. Day afterwards

_A/N: I almost forgot about this fic with the other ones I had kept my attention occupied lol I had this chapter almost finished until I accidentally threw the paper in the trash (This was when I didn't have my laptop to type on). Oh well I remembered most of the content anyway since it's pretty much kitty Misaki walking around the apartment on Hiroki's day off while the man is working on his laptop and makes Misaki take a bath. _

_Before people tell me I must have mistakenly made Misaki say Hiro-san when referring to Hiroki, Nowaki introduced Hiroki as Hiro-san in the last chapter. So of course Hiroki would never know Misaki ever calls him Hiro-san when he starts talking, so it's a passable thing._

_-Lucicelo_

* * *

Chapter 2: Day afterwards...

The little kitten woke up when he heard someone walking through the room and he opened his little green eyes. He got up from the makeshift bed Nowaki made for him the night before and stretched up his little limbs. He had a great night's sleep and was happy to explore his new surroundings. The kitten was a little hesitant when he didn't really know the two people who were now his new owners.

Nowaki was kind enough to make his spot as comfortable as possible before going inside the bathroom to dress up in some warm clothes for bed. Misaki was surprised when he saw Hiroki confidently caress him behind his ears when the whole time Nowaki was in the room the older man ignored him. Hiroki went back to ignoring him when Nowaki ventured out of the bathroom.

Nowaki had placed the makeshift bed right beside the nightstand and even left the lamp light on the whole night. Hiroki was already exahusted from his grading session and didn't complain when Nowaki left the light on. Nowaki kept a good eye on Misaki and when he was assured the little kitten wouldn't go anywhere, Nowaki fell asleep with Hiroki in his arms.

The newly named 'Misaki' padded around the room and barely missed Hiroki stampeding out of the room at a fast rate. Misaki meowed in fear as he hid underneath the bed and only peeked out to look when he was sure Hiroki was at a fair distance away.

Nowaki asked Hiroki with a refreshing smile and a spatula in his hand. "Good morning Hiro-san, how did you sleep?"

Hiroki glared at his lover's glowing disposition, it was seriously too early for someone to be so cheerful. Yet this was Nowaki's natural setting and Hiroki couldn't dispute with having his lover smiling at him.

He simply grunted his answer as took out a cup from the cabinet and poured himself some coffee. Hiroki mixed in some milk and sugar then sat down in one of their chairs at the table, taking little sips of his drink.

Nowaki chuckled. "I made you an omelette so you can eat that before I go to work. I opened a can of tuna for Misaki so he can eat that when he wakes up, I'll pick up some proper food for him when I come home."

Hiroki rubbed his eyes with confusion written on his face, momentarily forgetting their newest addition. "Who?"

"Misaki, our new little house guest." Nowaki explained as he pointed to the small plate and bowl next to the fridge. "Just direct Misaki to the kitchen and he will find the food himself. I'm sure he's probably starving after not eating for a while."

Hiroki kept his eyes on Nowaki and slowly remembered Nowaki convincing him to keep his cat late last night. "...You are leaving me alone with that cat?" Hiroki grumbled in fake disdain.

He didn't need Nowaki knowing that he had a soft spot for animals, especially kittens and puppies. Hiroki remembered the cat who sneaked into the manor on countless occasions and then went from a stray to a permanent member of his family. He named her Ringo, over the cat's love of the apple mush she ate when Hiroki wasn't paying attention.

His parents now took care of Ringo's grandchild since she died when he was in high school of old age. She was buried in the backyard underneath an apple tree his parents had planted years earlier.

Every single cat they've had after her were named after fruits but they didn't notice until the name stuck with the cat.

Hiroki couldn't escape Momo's affectionate licks when she jumped on his lap on his visits which almost alerted Nowaki of his love of animals. He didn't know why he had to hide this particular aspect of himself but Nowaki could figure it out on his own.

Nowaki needed a mystery to solve about him anyway.

"Hiro-san you don't have to sound like Misaki is going to be a pest. He won't be a real bother and if there are any problems you can call me." Nowaki assured Hiroki as he turned off the stove and placed the omelette in a small plate.

He placed it in front of Hiroki and moved a small bottle of ketchup near him. "Thank you Nowaki."

"No problem Hiro-san." Nowaki said with glee and kissed the top of Hiroki's head. "I'm about to leave for work, do you need me for anything else?"

Hiroki tilted his head back and stared into Nowaki's eyes but didn't say a word. His brown eyes went from Nowaki's eyes to his lips, he did this a few more times until Nowaki got the hint and didn't say a word as he kissed him.

Nowaki maneuvered around Hiroki and cupped his face with his warm hands. Hiroki placed his hands on Nowaki's broad shoulders and pulled him closer. A slight smirk a formed on Hiroki's lips as he deepened the kiss and Nowaki moaned when their tongues mingled.

The taller man sat on Hiroki's lap as the older man wrapped his arms around his torso. They forgot for the briefest moment that Nowaki needed to leave for work.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Misaki slowly made his way into the kitchen when he heard the voices of the people who were going to take care of him. He was especially happy to hear Nowaki's voice when it was obvious Hiroki wasn't good at waking up in the morning so he'd have to avoid him for a while.

His old owner who housed his mom was horrible at waking up early in the morning but was instantly cheerful when he petted his mom. When it came to him and his brother Takahiro, the man didn't treat them the same. Maybe it had something to do with his father whose owner was the man's ex-girlfriend's and she promised to take them away.

The kittens looked more like the tom than their pristine white mother and that must have made the man crazy. It was apparent when his old owner placed him and his brother in that alleyway with a small sign which read 'Free Kittens, vaccinated.'

Takahiro guarded him against the curious cats earlier in the day and only left to find him food. When the rain started falling down, Misaki didn't hear his brother or saw him again which worried him so much. Until a few strays talked about his brother who was picked up by a little girl and took him home, Misaki wished he was with him.

He considered himself lucky that Nowaki picked him up last night. The other cats in the area were growing restless because of the rain and were already eyeing his almost soaked through box. Some whispered amongst themselves over pushing him out of the box or getting rid of him and he got scared.

Misaki walked into the kitchen and saw Nowaki sitting on Hiroki's lap, he was confused for the reason they were really close to each other. _"What are they doing?"_

The kitten walked closer and let out a light meow which got both of his owners attention. Nowaki broke the kiss with a flush on his cheeks as both of them looked down at the brown kitten carefully walking closer to them.

Hiroki peered at Nowaki with a smirk on his face. "Embarrassed because the cat saw us kissing Nowaki?"

Nowaki shook his head with an amused smile. "Not really," He pecked Hiroki on the lips, causing the man's smirk to falter slightly but it turned into a small smile. "Kissing you is no embarrassment to me."

"You sap," Hiroki ushured Nowaki off of his lap. "You are going to be late for your shift if you don't leave now."

Nowaki checked the time on his phone as he sighed. "I guess I have to leave you for a few hours...you're going to miss me right?"

Hiroki humored him. "Maybe..maybe not."

He smiled at Hiroki as he kissed his forehead. "I'll take that answer for now." Nowaki bent down and rubbed Misaki's head. "Good morning Misaki."

_"Good morning Nowaki!"_ The kitten purred when Nowaki scratched a particular spot behind his ear.

Hiroki sipped his coffee while watching Nowaki standing back up on his feet. "What time do you think you'll be back home?"

"Well unless they need me for a little while longer then around 10 if I'm lucky." Nowaki explained as he started walking outside of the kitchen.

"Be safe."

Nowaki nodded his head in confirmation as he assured Hiroki. "I always am, don't you worry." After this, Nowaki left their home in a hurry and grabbed everything he needed as he closed the door hastily behind him.

Hiroki and Misaki staring at each other, Misaki licked his paw while Hiroki took another sip of his coffee.

Misaki meowed as Hiroki said. "You better not pee around the house."

* * *

Hiroki stared in slight interest when he saw Misaki eating the tuna Nowaki left for the small kitten as he finished his omelette. His coffee was almost done but it had gone lukewarm and Hiroki didn't want to finish drinking it. If he wanted ice coffee he would've made ice coffee to being with and not wait until a perfectly good cup went cold.

Misaki went from eating to taking licks of the water inside of the bowl beside the food. He was thrilled he got some food, he had not had something to eat since he was placed in that box with his brother. Takahiro was a little older than him but he wasn't able to find anything since the other cats were close to attacking them. Takahiro protected him until he left the area to find food.

A really horrible idea in Misaki's opinion, he wanted to leave with him but Takahiro convinced him to stay in the box. His brother told him it was easier that he knew where he was instead of them separating in the city.

Misaki licked his some food off of his face and took notice of Hiroki staring at him. "Why is Hiro-san staring at me?" The kitten examined his body and even chased his tail for a little bit. "I don't see anything wrong with me..."

Hiroki held back his chuckle at seeing Misaki chasing his tail. It started a snort before he went into full blown laughter.

Misaki's heard Hiroki's laugh and he turned around. _"Did he just laugh at me?! I'll show you not to laugh at me."_

The kitten ran to Hiroki and started jumping on his socked feet. Hiroki arched a brow and looked down at the kitten as he lightly pushed Misaki away.

"Silly kit."

Hiroki crouched down as he started rubbing down Misaki's back, the little kitten purred in delight as Hiroki mused. "You are not that different than Momo, except she actually jumps on people from high places. You better not do that kit, I get enough of that from her."

Misaki stuck his tongue out at Hiroki. _"I'm afraid of heights so don't you worry about that Hiro-san!"_

Hiroki sniffed the air and looked directly at Misaki when he realized the smell came from the kitten. His nose scrunched up in repugnance, Misaki must not have had a bath in a good while and they were too tired to smell it the day before.

He declared. "That's it. You are taking a bath."

Misaki's ears perked up and he turned his head to look at Hiroki in fear. _"He didn't just say..."_

Hiroki picked up Misaki from the scruff of his neck and ventured to the bathroom. Misaki instantly started struggling in the man's grip, thinking he could escape despite Hiroki keeping a good hold of him.

He sniffed Misaki's fur as he made a face. "When was the last time you had a bath? I don't know how Nowaki didn't notice this sooner when he brought you last night."

_"I don't want to take a bath! My mommy is the one who does that!"_

Hiroki closed the door so Misaki had no chance of escaping when his back was turned. He placed Misaki on the floor and then plugged up the drain of the sink as he turned on the water. Hiroki tested the water with his hand and adjusted the knobs to get the water slightly warm.

Misaki started scratching the door in vain and panicked when the door didn't open like the other doors in the apartment. _"I don't want a bath! Why won't this door open!"_

Hiroki took out a bottle of his body wash and poured some into the water. He looked over his shoulder and saw Misaki practically slamming his small body into the door in an attempt to get it open. The door opened outwards so Misaki was seriously wasting his time. Hiroki shook his head while he waited until some bubbles formed from the soap before turning off the water.

When Hiroki started walking to Misaki, the kitten heard him and ran out of Hiroki's reach. Hiroki rolled his eyes at Misaki's futile attempts at escaping him, there was nowhere to escape unless Misaki wanted to hide behind the toilet all afternoon.

After two minutes, Hiroki cornered him and picked him up with both of his hands. "Water isn't going to kill you, stop acting like it is going to kit."

_"B-But! Mommy is the one who bathes me! I don't like water at all, the last time I took a bath I almost drowned."_

Misaki went wild as he twisted and turned in Hiroki's hands and didn't think about the possiblity of Hiroki dropping him on the floor. "Stop struggling damn it."

Hiroki dipped Misaki's frantic paw into the water to let him see there was nothing wrong with it. In an instant, Misaki stopped struggling when he noticed Hiroki didn't just dump him in the water without a care. The kitten looked up at Hiroki who rubbed behind his little ears while dipping his other paw into the water.

Misaki relaxed in Hiroki's hands and the man took that cue to slowly put him into the water. Hiroki scooped water in his hands and slowly wet Misaki furthur before scrubbing the soap into the kitten's fur.

"See? Nothing wrong with taking a bath." Hiroki muttered as he rubbed soap on Misaki's little legs. "At least we'll get you used to baths so you won't go crazy when it's Nowaki's turn to bathe you."

Misaki's ears dropped slightly when some water hit them and he closed his eyes. The smell of Hiroki's mango scented body soap filled Misaki's nose and he liked the fruity scent a lot. When Hiroki let go of him for the briefest second, Misaki tried swimming in the water but he kept going under. Hiroki placed his hand under Misaki's belly to keep him afloat.

The kitten kept trying to swim with Hiroki's guidance and Misaki forgot he was actually in water.

Hiroki placed a dry towel on the side counter as he unplugged the drain and rinsed the suds on Misaki's body. Misaki saw the water going down the drain and his eyes widened when he saw his fun going away. He was placed on the towel and was being dried off when he hoped back into the sink.

Hiroki stared at him in astonishment as Misaki tried swimming in the water that was slowly going down the drain. He grabbed Misaki and placed him on the towel again, he felt him trying to escape into the drain again.

"No. Bathtime is over Misaki." He held Misaki in his arms as he unlocked the door and left the bathroom. "If you want to swim again, go to Nowaki when he takes a bath when he comes home from work."

Misaki felt like pouting, Hiroki just introduced him to something fun and just took it away from him.

Hiroki carefully dried him off on the couch before he set him down onto the floor. "Now don't make a mess, I have work to do and I don't have time to pick up after you."

Misaki simply cocked his head to the side as Hiroki walked inside of his room and came back with stacks of papers in his arms.

* * *

A freshly clean Misaki wandered around the living room with an upbeat attitude. Misaki felt bad when he struggled against Hiroki when he really did kind of stink, he had been in the rain for far too long the day before after all. He still didn't know how to properly bathe himself without the help of his mother and she bathed him with the most loving touch.

Misaki missed his mother a lot and he knew he wouldn't see her anytime soon. Maybe never again, he didn't know if his location was remotely close to his where his mother lived or if his ex-owner would let her outside of the apartment. The man was extremely protective on his mother going outside, unless he was there keeping an eye on her she never left.

His ears drooped, even if he wanted to he couldn't communicate how much he missed his mom to Hiroki and Nowaki. They couldn't understand anything he said and by the off chance they noticed he missed someone they wouldn't pin point it to his mother.

He saw Hiroki furiously typing on his laptop while taking seconds to look at the papers stacked on the table. Hiroki looked so angry as he moved his laptop aside, focusing on marking the papers with red marks which soured his mood even more.

Misaki didn't understand how pieces of paper could make someone so irate. If it was him he would rip the papers to shreds and the anger would've left his body right along with them. He used to nibble on the shoes of his mom's owner when he was upset and he instantly felt better. Though he got yelled at for the unnoticeable holes which could easily be hidden.

Why didn't Hiroki do something that made him feel better?

The kitten wandered around the living room, he tried looking for anything that might make Hiroki's mood outshine his current one. He peeked underneath the couch and all he found were dust bunnies everywhere, there was only a DVD case in the far back of the couch which didn't interest Misaki at all.

He got out from under the couch and wandered around the living room which seemed large in his eyes. He smelled everything he thought smelled interesting and attempted climbing up the table, he started meowing when he felt himself falling onto the ground. Hiroki heard Misaki's cries and he helped Misaki carefully onto the floor. Afterwards he went back to work and wondered if Nowaki brought home a kitten that was _too_ curious. They didn't need to worry about their house being in shambles because Misaki got the bright idea to cause mischief.

Hiroki separated the piles of corrected papers away from the ones he needed to read. The night before he managed to get a good portion of them done but he needed some rest or he'd collapse and they would never get finished. Besides he wanted to give them back to the students as soon as possible, having all of this paper in his house wasn't a good idea anymore.

They now had a new cat, thanks to Nowaki's insistence, and Hiroki couldn't leave his work lying around the floor like before.

Misaki lied on a random spot on the floor, he just wanted to relax. It was slowly sinking in that he didn't need to keep a close ear to any other cat who wanted to hurt him or that he was vulnerable to the elements. He resided inside of a house, two humans were kind enough to let him live there and they were nice.

He licked his paw and rubbed his face as he paid close attention to what Hiroki was doing. The expressions Hiroki was showing as he worked was more entertaining than anything in that room.

Hiroki said in frustration. "Are they purposely trying to make my life miserable? Can't these students follow the paper format I wrote in giant letters on the assignment sheet?" He wrote a big 'F' on a few papers which didn't follow his instructions and moved onto the next ones.

Misaki saw Hiroki's foot tapping with impatience and the kitten's first instinct was to jump onto Hiroki's foot. He carefully got closer to Hiroki while the man started muttering curses under his breath and Misaki froze when one of Hiroki's pens rolled off of the table, landing right in front of him. Hiroki reached down for the pen and saw Misaki looking at him while he picked it up.

Hiroki expected Misaki causing mischief all around the house while he wasn't looking not staying close to him. Misaki started hitting his foot as Hiroki went back to work, at least he wouldn't have to worry about Misaki chewing up any of his things if he was close to him. He winced when he felt Misaki biting his foot and he glared down at Misaki, thinking this would stop him but since the kitten wasn't looking at him, the effect of the glare was lost.

In a stern voice, Hiroki said. "Stop it Misaki."

Misaki ceased when he heard Hiroki's voice and he tipped his head back to stare at Hiroki. _"Did I do something wrong? I'm not biting too hard."_

"I'm trying to work here, go play somewhere else."

Misaki kept staring at him while he scratched a spot behind his ear. He meowed cutely and Misaki felt happy when he saw Hiroki smile, that was what he wanted all along.

_"Keep on smiling Hiro-san!"_

Hiroki went back to work in a much lighter mood as he turned on the TV and Misaki's attention went to the cat who showed up on screen. _  
"There's a cat on up there! Look! Look! Hi cat!"_

Hiroki started reading a paper he knew was a good one, which he gave a good grade and tossed onto the corrected pile. He ignored Misaki's attempts on trying to climb onto the TV to get the to the running cat. The kitten was still too tiny to effectively climb onto anything so he wouldn't get hurt.

He hoped Misaki didn't have the strength to get up there.

* * *

Nowaki walked inside of the apartment and kicked off his shoes off of his tired feet. He yawned as he placed his stuff on the shoe rack and heard the TV on in the living room he assumed Hiroki must've finished his work load. Nowaki heard Hiroki's favorite programming on the tv, Nowaki knew Hiroki was absolutely done. He rubbed the back of his head in relief, if Hiroki didn't finish before he got back from work then his lover would stay up all night.

He worried about Hiroki when he went into his grading frenzies, the man never stopped until he wrote the last notation on his papers. Hiroki went hours upon hours without taking breaks and didn't eat any food, unless he had snacks before he started. Nowaki constantly told him his concerns and Hiroki cut down a good fraction of his usual stride, yet Nowaki wanted Hiroki to take more breaks.

Hiroki always stated that he grew absolutely bored when reading awful papers and after a few assignments he knew which students to read first. The students he knew would write satisfactory work or excellent papers were the last ones he read. Those didn't cause him as many headaches as when he first started.

He locked the door before he went inside the living room, he saw Hiroki in a deep sleep on the floor with a book over his face. Misaki was curled over the man's chest and every so often started purring with joy.

He awed in delight and wished his camera wasn't broken to take a picture of what he was witnessing. Nowaki crouched onto the floor and carefully gathered Hiroki in his arms while making sure Misaki wouldn't fall off of Hiroki's chest. He managed to balance Hiroki and Misaki as he turned off the TV and any other light that were still on.

Nowaki went inside of their bedroom and maneuvered over a stack of books he knew were in his way. He almost tripped over them earlier in the morning so he wasn't making the same mistake twice. Especially when he had Hiroki and Misaki in his arms, he didn't want to hurt him if he fell onto the ground.

He sat on the side of the bed and used one hand to push off the covers before placing Hiroki on the bed. Nowaki grabbed Misaki from Hiroki's chest and placed the kitten on his made up bed, he was surprised the kitten didn't wake up from being moved. The kitten must have tired himself out from exploring the apartment all day or maybe Misaki followed Hiroki all day.

Nowaki chuckled when he imagined Hiroki scowling while Misaki followed him everywhere in the apartment. Hiroki would get bothered and try making Misaki go after Nowaki but it would backfire as the kitten runs after him.

"Hmm...Nowaki?" Hiroki murmured as he stared at Nowaki. "When did you get back?"

"A few minutes ago Hiro-san," Nowaki kissed Hiroki's lips tenderly. "You must be so tired that you managed to fall asleep on the floor."

Hiroki made himself comfortable on the bed as Nowaki laid right next to him. "I guess..I finished everything so I won't need to do correcting...for a while." Hiroki yawned and he closed his eyes, slowly going back to sleep.

Nowaki kissed Hiroki's temple as he pulled up the sheets while he spotted a sleepy kitten staring up at him. Misaki tried jumping on the bed as Nowaki chuckled at his antics, he got off of the bed and scooped up the kitten in his arms.

He rubbed the back of Misaki's ears. "Do you want to sleep with us Misaki?"

Misaki yawned and licked his paws._ "Yes...Hiro-san is so warm...let me a sleep on him...please..."_

"You are just adorable Misaki." Nowaki gushed as he placed Misaki on the bed and saw him gravitating toward Hiroki's chest. "Huh it seems you like sleeping with Hiro-san...and he told me animals didn't like him so much. That must be false if you like being near him Misaki."

_"He's nice...very nice..."_ Misaki closed his eyes and rubbed against the fabric of Hiroki's shirt while he slowly went to sleep.

Nowaki turned off all of the lights prior to getting onto the bed. He wrapped his arms around Hiroki's torso and pulled him close his body as he pulled up the sheets of their bed. Nowaki peeked over Hiroki and saw the outline of the kitten's body, he made sure not to cover the kitten completely so he wouldn't overheat.

He squeezed his arm around Hiroki's waist and he smiled when he felt Hiroki place his hand over his hand. Nowaki felt so happy as he went to sleep and his dreams were filled with his beloved Hiroki.

What he didn't know was that Hiroki dreamed of him and the dream grew more vivid when Nowaki held him in his arms.

TBC


End file.
